It is common practice for a person to shave his or her legs. Women customarily shave their legs for cosmetic reasons and both men and women often shave their legs when engaged in sporting activities such as competitive swimming or bicycle racing.
When a person desires to shave his or her legs, shaving most often is accomplished when bathing, either in a bathtub or in a shower stall. In both situations, shaving the legs can be difficult and cuts to the skin or damage such as razor burns often occur as shaving the legs is an awkward procedure. In bathtubs, the person will generally attempt to rest his or her foot on the ledge or end of the tub while sitting in the tub and proceed with the shaving operation. In this wet and soapy environment it is easy for the person's leg to slip which can result in cuts. The procedure is further complicated by the unavailability of a convenient location for the person to place grooming aids when shaving. When shaving it is generally necessary for the person to have shaving soap, generally an aerosol and a razor. After the soap is applied to the leg surface to be shaved, the person will generally place the soap on the ledge of the tub and retrieve the razor which has been previously placed there for use. It is easy for both the container of soap and the razor to slip into the tub making the shaving operation even more difficult and awkward.
Similar difficulties are encountered when a person attempts to shave in a shower stall. When standing in the shower stall, a person will generally lean from the waist attempting to shave the lower leg portions. Another approach is for the person to stand on one foot and maintain balance while bracing the other foot against a wall of the shower stall. Either operation is somewhat hazardous as the person may slip or fall in the wet slippery environment of the shower. Also, accessibility to grooming aids is not convenient as generally these are either placed on the floor of the shower stall or maintained in a caddy suspended from the shower head.
Various foot support and grooming holders can be found in the prior art.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,579,545 describes a combined foot support and grooming holder which is designed to provide elevation and support for a human foot and grooming needs while washing, drying and pedicuring the foot or shaving the leg. The device can be used inside or outside of the shower or bath. The device is a two-part, single leg, elongate support member with a two-part platform.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,647,072 shows a foot support for shower areas which mounts in the corner of the walls formed by the shower area to support the foot and leg of the bather while washing or shaving. The device has a shelf panel and is supported above the shower basin and is oriented at an oblique angle to the base. The mounting structure mounts the shelf panel to the walls and includes a pair of mounting panels that confront the walls. The shelf panel and the mounting panel are formed as a crescent shaped integral piece of molded plastic and the mounting panels are hinged along linear sections that define lateral side edges for the shelf panel. Drain openings are formed through the shelf panel and reinforcing ribs extend around these openings. Reinforcing lips extend along the front and rear edges of the shelf panel and also provide limit stops to help position the mounting panels. The mounting panels are provided with adhesive strips to adhere the foot support to the shower walls. Alternatively the foot support may be formed as interlocking cantilevered panels.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,340,070 discloses a plate or fixture which is mounted in a shower stall or bathing area with a unitary body having a vertically extending portion and a forwardly extending portion. The forwardly extending portion is downwardly inclined. The upper surface provides an area for receiving the ball of the foot to facilitate shaving of the legs.
While devices of the type described above provide some assistance and convenience to the user, they have certain advantages. Generally the prior art devices require that they be permanently installed within the shower stall or tub area and are not attractive and present cleaning difficulties and for this reason are not sanitary. Further, permanent installation at a particular location may not be convenient or suitable for use by persons of various heights. Devices that are not permanently attached may be inconvenient to store when not in use. Further, while many of the prior art devices provide foot support they do not provide a convenient location for the storage of grooming needs which are used during shaving of the legs.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a grooming accessory which will provide support to assist a person in shaving or washing a leg or performing other operations such as pedicuring or applying lotions and creams.